


High Density

by Hezaia



Series: Reaching for the Moon + High Density [2]
Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguity, Gen, Humor, Innuendo, M/M, Overprotective Tsukasa, Protective Tsukasa, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24043279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hezaia/pseuds/Hezaia
Summary: “Seriously though… those two, are they seriously that dense or are they just fucking with me?”Side story featuring Gen, Ukyo, and some of the stupidity going on behind the scenes.
Relationships: Asagiri Gen & Ishigami Senkuu, Asagiri Gen & Saionji Ukyou, Asagiri Gen & Shishiou Tsukasa, Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu, Ishigami Senkuu & Shishiou Tsukasa, Shishiou Tsukasa/Ishigami Senkuu
Series: Reaching for the Moon + High Density [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1734331
Comments: 16
Kudos: 201





	High Density

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to suggest additional tags ^^

There were times when Gen wondered why he had been revived into this Stone World.

It would have been overly naïve to think that it was because he was a familiar face. Instead, it was far more likely that he had been brought back for his skills as a mentalist.

As for how said skills had been deployed so far however−

“Honestly…” Gen took a swig from his bottle of cola. “For being so smart, he’s pretty damned dense…”

His drinking companion let out a slight hum, but more to show that he was listening than that he was agreeing with what Gen was saying. He didn’t seem to disagree either though.

“Well, that is a matter of definition, is it not?” Ukyo said, pouring himself another drink. “My impression is that Senku is fairly perceptive. That said, I guess he does have a tendency to turn a blind eye to certain things…”

Certain things. Well, that was one way of putting it.

“Really though, Senku- _chan_ ought to be a bit more considerate of people’s feelings,” Gen snorted.

“I guess so,” Ukyo said, sipping his wine. “But perhaps this is him trying to be considerate? As in, not wanting to bother others?”

Gen leaned back, glancing at him. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been plenty bothered by all this hard labour.”

Ukyo offered up a mild shrug at that. “It’s good exercise, if a bit excessive at times. That said, it’s mostly a thing of the past, no?”

Gen grimaced at that, because while the other guy might not give off such an impression, he could be a bit of a fitness freak at times. At one point, Ukyo had even invited Gen to take part in his regular morning exercise. Gen had respectfully declined.

“It’s pretty amazing though, just how much he’s accomplished in this amount of time,” Ukyo said, staring wistfully towards Senku where he sat, chatting animatedly with a few of the villagers. “Without him, none of us would even be here.”

Well− “No one but Tsukasa- _chan_ , you mean? According to Senku- _chan_ , he somehow managed to de-petrify himself.”

“Perhaps,” Ukyo said, glancing towards the guy in question. “But would he really have come here, to this place, if not for Senku? I don’t think so.”

That made two of them, really. Still− “Who knows? Tsukasa- _chan_ can be pretty bull-headed at times… I mean, he’s pretty sharp, but he’s not someone I’d see restoring human civilisation. At first, I got the feeling he’d rather not see any further advancements in human civilisation, but now… now I’m sure he doesn’t really mind it – except when Senku- _chan_ does something reckless again.”

“Understandable,” Ukyo commented, staring down into his cup.

And it was understandable, all things considered.

“He’s really astounding though – Senku- _chan_ , that is,” Gen said. “Do you know what he did, like almost first thing after he de-petrified himself? He carved the date into a damn tree, because apparently, he’d kept count! That’s pretty freakish if you ask me. Not to diminish Tsukasa- _chan_ or anything, because from what I hear, one of the first things he did after breaking petrification was to kill a lion with his bare hands!”

Ukyo hummed in agreement, but the shallowness of his reaction indicated that this was not the first time he had heard about Senku and Tsukasa’s early escapades. Taiju had most likely told him, and while the guy could be pretty over the top, he was most definitely not the sort that would embellish that kind of thing.

Still, it was really different now, having seen the sights so to say. Because Gen had actually seen the sights in person; the rumoured tree engraving, the so-called Cave of Miracles, and the camp the first de-petrified humans had called home, and he had had the questionable privilege of touring it with two of them.

It had been an interesting field trip to say the very least; a physically and psychologically trying experience, yes, but certainly an enlightening one.

For one thing, while Gen most certainly didn’t regard himself as the epitome of human fitness, he now knew for a fact that Senku definitely had it worse. Given how extended periods of physical activity seemed to do a real number on Senku’s already limited stamina, it was really nothing short of a miracle that had had managed to stick it out on his own for three months, making everything from scratch, from shelter and tools to the clothes on his back.

It certainly had to have been an experience, but perhaps not as daunting to him as to someone like Gen. Because Senku had been mentally prepared to deal with it from the get-go, and had strategically used his limited stamina and resources not just for survival but also to attempt to solve the whole petrification issue; an admirable ambition, to say the very least.

Had Gen found himself in a similar situation, he would definitely have panicked. Because while his stamina was definitely superior to Senku’s, he definitely lacked necessary survival skills as well as the tenacity to keep moving forward. Like sure, Gen would probably have managed the basics, but he wouldn’t have actively pushed himself to do anything beyond that, all while feeling pretty miserable and closer to losing his sanity. Because humans were by and large social creatures, and having no one to talk to for that long would likely have driven Gen to start one-sided conversations with nearby statues.

Perhaps Senku had actually done that though? Then again, after spending all that time trapped in his own head, keeping count of days, months, years, it would only make sense for him to emerge a bit warped at the end of it all.

But had he?

The jury was still out on that; Taiju and Yuzuriha claimed he was still the same as before, but Gen had his doubts about that. Tsukasa, who had allegedly attended the same high school, likely had some sort of opinion in the matter, but it was just as reasonable to assume that he didn’t. Because, while Tsukasa and Senku were the kind of people that other people likely knew about, it was also quite possible that they had never really noticed one another; they had moved in different circles, so to say. And, speaking of Tsukasa−

“Hey, Ukyo- _chan_ …”

“Hm?”

“Those girls over there, what are they saying? Tsukasa- _chan_ ’s looking ready to bolt.”

Ukyo smiled, refilling his cup. “They’re impressed by his strength and skills, and express fondness for his looks and personality traits.”

Personality traits, huh? “Right, he’s strong, a skilled hunter and good-looking to the boot. As for his personality however, well, he’s… caring, in some aspects, I guess?”

…When certain individuals were concerned, at least. Still− “I’m gonna head over there and keep Senku- _chan_ company for a while. Because Tsukasa- _chan_ ’s _sca-ry_!”

Ukyo snorted into his drink.

* * *

Then again, speaking of scary individuals, Tsukasa definitely wasn’t the worst. Like, Tsukasa could be pretty scary, but as long as one carefully avoided attracting his ire, he was… well, not _harmless_ , but far less likely to cause any harm.

Also, with the addition of a cute little sister to their ranks, Tsukasa had mellowed out considerably. Like, he was still abnormally fast, fit and strong, but… his attachment to Senku remained as strong as ever, despite Senku ‘having upheld his end of the bargain’ or whatever Senku himself had muttered about – likely some sort of deal along the lines of ‘I’ll help you get your sister back, but you have to help me out in the meantime’.

Senku was pretty damned nice though, whether he was aware of it or not, and Gen had the cola to prove it. And while Gen might regard himself as somewhat superficial, he wasn’t the sort not to return favours. And if the acts themselves were ultimately self-serving? Well, no need to speak too openly about that, right~?

And, after successfully sussing out Senku’s upcoming birthday and watching Senku and Chrome and Old Man Kaseki hard at work preparing equipment for Senku and Chrome’s impending cave exploration, Gen knew that his time had finally come. He was also happy about not getting picked for said exploration, because if he had, then all his plans would have been ruined.

Still− “Out of the three, it’s gotta be Magma- _chan_ , huh?”

Magma was not Gen’s favourite person; Gen had found him quite scary as a matter of fact, given how close he had once come to being skewered by him. But Gen found the guy considerably less intimidating now, after having seen the guy in Ukyo’s writing class, growing increasingly frustrated by the similarities in-between hiragana A (あ) and O (お).

Also, Magma was the only one in the group besides Senku who could be considered sneaky enough to assist Gen in keeping Senku well away from the village while not letting the scientist know about Gen’s plans.

Taiju likely couldn’t keep a secret to save his own life. As for Chrome, the guy would likely get too worked up by it and alert Senku that something was up with his behaviour.

And Gen wanted this to stay secret, because he really wanted it to be a surprise; Senku had made so many people – Gen included – slack jawed in awe, so it was only fair that Gen got to return the favour.

It would obviously have to be a community effort though, but Gen didn’t really think that convincing the villagers and the others would be particularly hard; Senku was the esteemed village chief after all~

* * *

Having waved goodbye to the expedition, Gen was quick to stride right into action. After all, while there were plenty of hands available, it would take some time to explain, to gather and process materials and to put everything together. Thankfully, he was not the only modern human around, even if a bunch of them were out on the usual hunting expedition.

“Hiya, quite a haul today as well~”

And no, Gen did not flinch when Tsukasa zeroed in on him, eyes narrowing minutely.

“Where’s Senku?”

Ah, yeah, it kind of figured that these would be the first words to exit Tsukasa’s mouth; his little sister Mirai was right there after all, along with Suika and Yuzuriha, working on lenses that would fit into the telescope that would be in the observatory Gen planned to build.

“Oh, Senku- _chan_? He, Chrome- _chan_ , Taiju- _chan_ , and Magma- _chan_ left a couple of hours ago, because they craaaaaave those minerals~”

Out of the entire hunting party, it seemed as though Ukyo was the only one to get it, which was pretty surprising; as a sonarman working on a submarine, it was doubtful that the guy would have had much time or opportunity to browse the internet for memes.

Then again, Tsukasa was Tsukasa, and Gen wasn’t even sure the guy would know what a meme was, and it was probably about the same for−

“What is going on here, Gen?”

−Ugh.

Gen smiled, hiding his hands in his sleeves. “We’re building an observatory. It’s a surprise. You know, for Senku- _chan_ ~”

Tsukasa let out sigh. Then he turned towards Old Man Kaseki. “I need a headlamp.”

That was really no way of asking someone for a favour, but− “You’re really going after them, huh?”

Well, there went one pair of helping hands. In any case−

Gen turned to Ukyo. “We’re building a telescope. We could use some help~”

“Sure thing!” Ukyo said.

* * *

With additional hands and expertise, they did manage to get the observatory finished on time, which was an accomplishment in itself. Gen might not have done the hardest part of the physical labour, but he was still damned proud of himself, because nobody else would have thought about making this.

Unfortunately, someone seemed to have spilled the beans, because Senku did not look overly surprised by the most recent addition to the area’s infrastructure, nor by the sizeable welcoming committee.

“Hiya, Senku- _chan_! I hope you like the present. Everyone helped~”

And someone had obviously fucked up, robbing Gen of Senku’s much anticipated look of astonishment.

“It’s quite a present, I admit,” Senku said at last. “Did your cola supply run out again or something? This is a pretty big present, considering I haven’t really done anything big.”

Gen tilted his head slightly to one side. “Are you reeeeeeally sure about that though?”

Because, Senku, having accomplished nothing big? Did Gen need to grab him by the face, stare deeply into his eyes and list all his accomplishments until he gave in and accepted his own brilliance?

Gen would have to put the matter under serious consideration.

* * *

Armed with tungsten and other rare minerals, Senku and his fellows immediately set out to pursue Senku’s latest idea; making a cell phone.

And for that, they allegedly needed a lot of gold wire, and in order to get that, they allegedly needed− “A cotton candy machine?”

Unexpected, but logical, once the matter had been properly explained.

As for other matters however−

“What are you doing, Senku- _chan_ ~?” Gen asked, and it was a genuine question, because for once, Gen had absolutely no inkling.

As it turned out, he really hadn’t been prepared for the answer though. Because making lubricant? What in the actual−?

“Making lube?” Gen leaned in, lowering his voice into an almost conspiratorial whisper. “That’s unexpectedly forward of you, Senku- _chan_ ~”

Senku stared at him like he was an idiot and went on to explain that this black paste was in fact solid lubricant – a mixture of graphite and alcohol – before dropping the absolute bomb, namely that Hyoga had been the one to request it.

_“Hyoga did?!”_

That Hyoga, what the−?!

 _“What the heck are you screaming for, Mentalist?”_ Senku hissed.

Gen opened his mouth, and just then, the Devil himself appeared.

“Yes, what seems to be the problem, Gen?”

Gen quickly schooled his features, plastering a disarming smile on his face. It was probably unnecessary though, because Hyoga barely even deigned him a glance. His focus clearly lay elsewhere.

“I’m almost done with this,” Senku said. “Want to test it out now or later tonight?”

Was that an innuendo? Because that definitely sounded like an innuendo.

In any case−

Hyoga’s eyes crinkled; he was smiling. Gen had never seen him do that before, and he was absolutely terrified. Even Homura – Hyoga’s usually pouting right-hand woman – seemed taken aback, looking back and forth in-between Hyoga and Senku in frustrated confusion.

That made two of them really.

* * *

Gen had obviously had to report this new and worrying development.

“Tsukasa- _chan_ , you really need to keep a closer eye on Senku- _chan_ ,” he urged. “If you don’t watch out, Hyoga- _chan_ ’s gonna seduce him to the dark side…”

Tsukasa stared at him like he was stupid. Then he got up and left, leaving Gen to stare at his back in frustration.

Ukyo, who had apparently witnessed the entire exchange, just smiled and handed him a stick of cotton candy.

Gen, having no cola at hand, immediately took it and stuffed his mouth with it. Ah, if all of his problems would just melt away as easily as cotton candy~

“Seriously though,” he said at last, returning what remained of the stick. “Those two, are they seriously that dense or are they just fucking with me?”

Ukyo offered up a smile and a mild shrug at that. “They’re not fucking at least,” he said. “Because if they were, I’d definitely know…”

Gen just gaped at him, because he had _not_ been expecting that.

“That said,” Ukyo went on, smiling rather impishly now. “Shall we?”

* * *

Really though, what had Senku been thinking? It was as though he had taken a look at the dangerous man and thought: _How can I make this guy an even greater danger to society?_

Because Senku’s recent upgrade to Hyoga’s weapon had definitely added to his speed, making his strikes even more lethal. The sociopath seemed rather pleased about it too, and with Senku as well.

The question was, how would Tsukasa react to this most recent development; this sort-of betrayal by two of his closest allies?

 _“Hey, Ukyo,”_ Gen whispered, having ducked back down behind cover. _“What are they talking about?”_

 _“Word for word or just the gist of it?”_ Ukyo whispered back.

_“Either’s fine! Just do it!”_

Because Gen needed it; he craved the entertainment, because this Stone World was severely lacking of it – no manga, no anime, no books, no cell phone or computer games, no films, little music and no daytime TV. Like sure, spending time with Senku and his lot tended to be an adventure in itself, but−

 _“Tsukasa wants Senku to make a sword for him,”_ Ukyo relayed.

A sword?

 _“What would he need that for?”_ Gen asked, because as a boxer, what use would Tsukasa have for a sword?

 _“It might prove useful, he says,”_ Ukyo relayed. _“Quiet now, or else we’re gonna get noticed.”_

There was an overhanging risk that they might have been noticed already, but in case they hadn’t, then now was the time to lie low.

For a few minutes, they did just that, lying low – quite literally lying on the ground in Gen’s case. But then Ukyo got back on his feet, so that meant that the coast was clear, no?

“So,” Gen said, getting up onto his hands and knees. “What were our resident power couple’s words underneath the moonlight?”

Ukyo let out an amused snort at that. “Tsukasa professed that he would follow Senku into space, and Senku commented that it was reassuring and that additional manpower was always welcome.”

This nearly sent Gen back to the ground. “ _Are you fucking serious?!_ That was basically a confession! I used to pity Senku- _chan_ for having to deal with Tsukasa- _chan_ ’s overprotectiveness, but now… I kind of want to give Tsukasa- _chan_ a hug.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But I won’t, because I’m scared that he’d break my back like a toothpick.”

“Tsukasa’s not really that scary though,” Ukyo said, crouching back down with a smile. “Besides, love comes in all kinds of shapes. Who are we to judge?”

Indeed.

“Senku- _chan_ ’s pretty shameless though,” Gen muttered, taking the hand Ukyo offered him, allowing himself to get pulled back to his feet. “It’s almost like he’s assembling a harem.”

“It’s not shameless if it’s unintentional,” Ukyo said. “Besides, wasn’t assembling a harem your ambition?”

Oh yes, Gen’s early delusions. “Ugh, Ukyo- _chan_ , don’t bring that up. I buried that dream underneath several cubic metres of rubble and I fully intend to keep it that way.”

After all, entertaining such thoughts now, especially within earshot of certain modern age humans, was basically asking to get a kick to the groin. Besides, what would Gen even need a harem for? It would only be a question of time before they defected to Senku or Tsukasa anyway. Or Hyoga, if their tastes were any similar to Homura’s.

In any case−

Gen brushed some dirt away from his clothes. “Ukyo- _chan_ , you seem to be in an awfully good mood today. Did something good happen?”

“Yep.” The archer smiled. “I just won a bet.”

A bet? “ _Gambling?_ But money hasn’t been reinvented yet? Also, Ukyo- _chan_ , what did you−?”

Ukyo just patted him on the shoulder, still wearing that deceptively innocent smile of his. “ _Don’t mind, don’t mind_. Let’s go for a drink~”

* * *

Somehow, even though Gen applied all his skills as a mentalist, he could not get Ukyo to crack and fess up on what exactly he had bet on. As such, Gen had been forced to employ alternate means.

“What Ukyo bet on?” Suika tilted her melon-covered head slightly, appearing thoughtful. “I can find that out, but why not just ask him directly? Wouldn’t that save time?”

It would, but whether sober or intoxicated, Ukyo wouldn’t budge. So− “Aw, but Suika- _chan_ , I’m really troubled over here. Won’t you help me out? I’ll teach you a magic trick if you do~”

Suika appeared to give the matter serious consideration.

“Coming to think of it,” she said at last. “I think I heard some people talking about a bet some time ago. Right, it was around Stone Day! A bunch of people went like _‘Aaargh, how could this happen? I was rooting for them!’_ or something like that…”

Stone Day? Rooting for whom? For what? Huh?

* * *

“Ukyo- _chan_ ~”

“Oh, hi Gen. What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to confirm something~”

“Okay then.”

“Did you set up a secret betting ring on whether Tsukasa- _chan_ or I would be the first to ‘confess’ our feelings to Senku- _chan_?”

“Well… kind of?”

“And you bet against me? What kind of friend are you?”

“I wanted to, but with so many people placing bets on you, I figured I had to go with Tsukasa, since it wouldn’t really be gambling otherwise. That said, I didn’t actually think I’d win back then, but after you missed your shot, well…”

Ukyo offered up a smile and helpless shrug.

Gen considered the merits of doing something violent, but ultimately discarded the thought; Ukyo might not look like it, but he was pretty strong, and would probably have Gen in a stranglehold moments after Gen had thrown the first punch. Besides, why would Gen fight with his fists? He was a mentalist, not a brawler, for goodness sake.

“So,” Gen said. “Any other bets going on? Because I’m not gonna lie: It seems interesting and I want in~”

“Well…” Ukyo scratched his head. “Not sure if it’d be such a great idea, since I think you’d try to fix the game.”

Not try. Definitely succeed. But in any case− “Are you really sure you want to keep me out of the loop though? I’m quite an asset after all~”

Quite an asset, and quite an opponent too if it came down to it.

* * *

There were times when Gen wondered why he had been revived into this Stone World, but now was not one of them. He missed certain things from the modern age – certain conveniences – but he didn’t miss a whole lot from his former life. Life in the Stone World was different – challenging for certain, but rarely uneventful.

Because suddenly, in light of recent revelations, there was a quest to go sail to some alleged Treasure Island in the cards.

And to sail, one needed a ship, and in addition to that one obviously needed a−

“Ha ha! Either way, too bad! You may hate me with a passion, but I love you! You see, I love all women, and that naturally includes you. Men too! I desire them all, and that includes Tsukasa, and Senku as well!”

−captain to steer it?

 _“Uwa,”_ Gen thought to himself. _“A new challenger appears.”_

* * *


End file.
